[Hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy in challenging cases]. / Nefrectomía laparoscópica asistida por la mano en casos difíciles.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcome of hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy in patients with significant complicating clinical factors. METHODS: A retrospective assessment was made of 100 laparoscopic nephrectomies performed at a single hospital from 2001 to 2005. Patients with a history of prior abdominal surgery, prior procedures on the involved kidney, evidence of perirenal inflammation, renal lesions 10 cm or more in diameter, or level I renal vein thrombosis were enrolled. RESULTS: Twelve patients were enrolled. Of these, 5 had a lesion at least 10 cm in diameter, 2 had renal vein thrombosis, and 5 reported major abdominal surgery. Most patients had more than one of these findings. Three patients showed inflammatory conditions (staghorn calculi) and a T4 renal tumor was successfully treated without conversion to open surgery. Mean operating time and blood loss were 210 minutes and 310 ml respectively, while mean length of hospital stay was 3 days. No patient required conversion to open surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy is an attractive minimally invasive option for technically challenging tumors and has reasonable operating times, blood losses, and complication rates.

[Clinical efficacy of prostatic biopsy. Experience in our center from 1990 to 2002]. / Eficacia clínica de la biopsia prostática. Experiencia en nuestro centro 1990-2002.

INTRODUCTION: The prostate biopsy is the only valid tool to diagnose the existence of cancer of prostate. The indications of the biopsy, according with EAU, are the existence of high PSA, increased velocity PSA and a rectal suspicious tact. OBJECTIVES: validation of the utility of the prostate biopsy, to know the value of the PSA as a marker of prostate cancer in our way and to value the indication and efficiency of repeated biopsies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: we practice a manual review of the biopsies in our hospital, between the years 1990 and 2002. We study the level of PSA before the biopsy, number of prostatic cores and histologic information of the biopsy. A statistical descriptive and inferencial study has been performed by SPSS 12.0 package. RESULTS: The total number of biopsies registered was a 1202, with 36.96% of biopsy positive. The PSA before the biopsy (available in the biopsies realized between the year 1999 and 2002: 578 biopsies, 48.08% of the whole) was > 10 ng/ml in 55,88% of these patients, 4-10 ng/ml in 39.27% and 0-4 ng/ml in 4.84%. The average and PSA's median is of 19.09 (standard error: 1.87) and 10.6, respectively. The positividad of the biopsy increases with PSA's level: 48,61% with PSA > 10; 25.11% with PSA 4-10 and 21,4% in patients with PSA < 4. There was realized prostate rebiopsy (2 or more biopsies) in 132 patients (21.97% positive) 88,36% of the cancers was diagnosed in the first biopsy, and 6.62% in the second one (94,98% of the diagnoses of cancer of prostate carried out with the first 2 biopsies). CONCLUSIONS: The information obtained in the study by means of the descriptive analysis of our series meets in conformity the published in other studies and publications. There exists a need to increase the diagnostic profitability of the biopsy of prostate, for which we have introduced a protocol of biopsy under local anesthesia in order to be able to increase the number of obtained cylinders.

[Schistosomiasis: not an uncommon parasitosis in Europe]. / Esquistosomiasis: una parasitosis urinaria cada vez más frecuente.

UNLABELLED: Despite the fact that urinary parasitosis are very unusual diseases in our place, their frequency is growing up because of migration movements. CLINICAL CASE: A 28 years old subsaharian patient presented with haematuria and low urinary symptoms. The cystoscopic shows small white round granulate in bladder mucosa and anatomopathologic study informed about eggs an adult parasites on bladder biopsy. Despite of the infrequency of schistosomiasis in our country and because of migration movements we must include this disorder in monosimptomatic haematuria differential diagnosis.

[Kidney lipomatosis in a transplantation donor]. / Lipomatosis renal en donante cadáver.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this clinical note is to report one case of incidental superficial renal mass during an organ explantation. METHODS: The renal donor was a 56-years-old male patient death for subaracnoidea haemorrhage without urological history. RESULTS: The anatomopathologic intraoperative study of the renal masses informed about the fatty nature of the tissue, and the renal implantation was performed. CONCLUSIONS: The find of a superficial renal mass during an organ explantatiation determine the necessity of a preoperative biopsy.

[Nephrolithiasis and topiramate]. / Nefrolitiasis y topiramato.

INTRODUCTION: Topiramate (TPM) is a new antiepileptic drug whose multiple mechanisms of action justify both its broad therapeutic spectrum and its increasingly widespread use in childhood epilepsy. TPM acts as a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor and, although this does not affect its effectiveness as an antiepileptic, it does account for certain side effects such as nephrolithiasis. The frequency of nephrolithiasis secondary to TPM in childhood is unknown and we have only found reports of five cases in children. CASE REPORTS: We describe two cases of medication-resistant infantile epilepsy--a 3-year-old female with Dravet's syndrome and a male aged 4.5 years with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. In both cases the decision was made to introduce TPM as add-on therapy after a prolonged therapeutic programme; a high degree of effectiveness was achieved in both patients. Nevertheless, the two patients developed nephrolithiasis secondary to TPM, which in the second case was related to the simultaneous treatment with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), while no known favouring factor was found in the first patient. CONCLUSIONS: We outline the physiopathogenic mechanism explaining nephrolithiasis secondary to TPM, the risk factors involved and the therapeutic and preventive options available in dealing with this side effect, which occurs in a low percentage of cases but which usually means stopping administration of this therapy. We therefore believe it necessary to analyse the risk factors for nephrolithiasis before prescribing the drug and we suggest that generalised preventive measures should be implemented, especially in children who are carriers of encephalopathies or conditions that reduce mobility.

[Testicular and paratesticular prepuberal tumors: our experience and update on the topic]. / Tumores testiculares y paratesticulares prepuberales. Experiencia en nuestro centro y revisión de la literatura.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the importance of testicular and paratesticular prepubertal tumors in our center and to make an update on the topic. METHODS AND PATIENTS: Data from all patients diagnosed of testicular and paratesticular prepubertal tumors and treated in our pediatric oncology unit from January 1st 1998 to December 31st 2003 have been revised. RESULTS: Seven cases are reported among one hundred and ninety patients (represents 3,68 percent of all treated tumors): five tumors affecting the testis and two cases of paratesticular tumors. Pathology classification was as follows: one yolk sack tumor, one mature teratoma, two nongerminomatous testicular tumors (one Sertoli cell tumor and one unclassifiable), one Burkitt's lymphoma and two paratesticular rhabdomyosarcomas. Primary approach was inguinal radical orchiectomy in all cases except neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the case of lymphoma and partial escrotectomy in one patient previously managed with transcrotal orchiectomy. Rhabdomyosarcoma cases received adjuvant chemotherapy. All patients are alive and well after a follow-up period ranging from 17 to 74 months. CONCLUSIONS: Testicular and paratesticular prepubertal tumors are rare. Except for one patient affected of lymphoma, surgical primary approach have been essential for treatment. The prognoses in this series has been excellent.

[Non obstructive retrocaval ureter]. / Uréter circumcavo no obstructivo.

We report a case on circumcavum ureter without obstruction or type two, according the Batenson and Atkinson's classification, in a forty-nine year old man. It was diagnosticated for a gross haematuria and renoureteral pain, because of a simultaneous urinary tract infection. We emphasize its absence of the typical morphology and obstruction signs. After twelve months the patient is still asymptomatic, without any medical or surgical treatment.

[Oral tegafur plus mitomycin versus intravesical mitomycin alone in the prevention of recurrence in stage Ta bladder tumors]. / Tegafur oral más mitomicina versus mitomicina intravesical sola en la profilaxis de las recidivas de tumores vesicales estadio Ta.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to know if the use of oral Tegafur associated to intravesical mitomycin is effective in the prevention of the relapses of Ta bladder tumors. METHOD: This is a prospective study in which we compare the recurrence rate and the disease-free interval of 2 groups of 40 patients each one, the first of them treated after the TUR with oral Tegafur and intravesical mitomycin, and the second with intravesical mitomycin alone. Tolerance of Tegafur was also studied. RESULTS: The group of the Tegafur presented a descent of the relapse rate and a continuation of the time free of illness; but it was not statistically significant. The tolerance to the drug was good, without important adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: Tegafur seems an useful drug in the prevention of the recurrence of superficial bladder tumors, although it will be necessary bigger studies to reach statistically valid conclusions.